Arial Donnell

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. There are three stages to the disease, mild, moderate, and severe. Currently there isn’t any cure for the disease and symptoms tend to worsen as the years progress and the individual moves into the later stages.

During a study, researchers used mouse models to test a protein, amyloid beta, to see how the loss of smell occurs in the brain. They found a tiny amount of amyloid beta causes smell loss in mouse models. In the beginning, the olfactory bulb, which receives input about odors detected by the nasal cavity, became hyperactive. Over years, amyloid beta increased inside the bulb and the more hypoactive the bulb became. Despite the longer period of sniffing, the mice were unable to remember smells and incapable of differentiating between odors. Same as in humans, as mice age they lose their sense of smell. To show a reverse of effects, researches then gave the mouse a synthetic liver x-receptor agonist, which is a drug that clears the protein, amyloid beta, from the brain. The mice were able to distinguish different smells again within two weeks. However, after one week of withdrawal, symptoms returned yet again.

Alzheimer’s disease not only affects the individual, but it also affects every person who plays a role in that individual’s life. With the findings and discovery, hopefully a cure for the disease will soon be made available. A cure will be greatly needed since studies show by 2050 Alzheimer’s disease is expected to triple to 16 million.

(1.) “Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet.” National Institute on Aging. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 13 July 2013.

(2.) Case Western Reserve University. “Early sign of Alzheimer’s reversed in lab.” ScienceDaily, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 12 Jul. 2013.